Another strong incentive to study quantum computing is the
miniaturization of classical computing components. The size of
transistors and memory elements has shrunk at an exponential rate. At
the current rate, sometime around 2020 the number of atoms used to
represent a bit will be 1 [18]. At this scale,
quantum mechanics will dominate the behavior of the memory element.
Whether or not quantum computing will provide a launch pad for a new
generation of computing devices is irrelevant to the practical need to
understand and manipulate systems so small that their behavior is
dictated by quantum physics.